Dean Thomas and the (Suddenly Hot) Best Mate
by cctjess
Summary: Dean and Seamus's sixth year at Hogwarts. Please review, I like to know how I'm doing! WARNING: SLASH
1. Back to Hogwarts

Dean Thomas climbed onto the train with Seamus Finnigan, his best friend, turned briefly to wave goodbye to their mothers, also good friends through their sons, and set off with Seamus to find a compartment.

"You going to meet with Ginny?" Seamus asked with a teasing tone.

"Yep, do you see any of the Weasleys? Or Harry and Hermione even?" Dean answered, ignoring the teasing tone that always seemed to accompany Seamus mentioning Ginny.

"Nope, but I do see a lovely empty compartment that's calling my name," Seamus said.

They entered the compartment, stowed their trunks, and settled in, Dean checking out the window every few seconds to see if the Weasley family had arrived. He wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to see Ginny soon or not. She was his dream sort of girl, one who didn't just lay down and expect the world to be nice to her, but he still didn't feel like dating her was the best move. He didn't quite understand why, but he knew this would end up bothering him until he figured it out.

"Mate, you're focusing pretty hard at the luggage compartment, you all right?" Seamus asked, not too concerned since Dean tended to do the same thing with his art.

"Yep, fine," Dean muttered, noticing belatedly that the Weasley clan had finally arrived due to a certain red headed girl rushing into the compartment to kiss him hello. Seamus smirked and wiggled his eyebrows behind Ginny's back before properly greeting her.

Ginny began rapidly describing her summer, including how much she was dreading her OWL's after seeing Hermione stress out over her, Harry, and Ron's scores. Dean nodded along in the right places, adding in brief reassurances when she paused for breath, but mostly focusing on the fact that Harry had been at the Burrow for most of the summer. Even after knowing Harry for five years and dating Ginny since the end of the year before, he still felt a bit of jealousy and some other emotion he couldn't quite describe when Harry came up in conversation.

_I know Ginny liked him for a long time, but she must not anymore, or she wouldn't be dating me, would she? And what does Harry think about us dating?_ Dean didn't think Harry would have much of a problem with it, but sometimes it was hard to tell with him.

Dean's musings were interrupted in the form of Zacharias Smith poking his head in the compartment.

"Mind if I sit with you guys?"

"Nah, that's fine. How was your summer?" Dean answered.

Zacharias came in and sat down across from Ginny and Dean, next to Seamus. He began telling a long-winded story about his father and him trying out Muggle fishing and all their subsequent failures. Somehow, he looped that story around to end up discussing the events at the Ministry and wondering pointedly what had happened. At this point, Dean realized the true reason Zacharias had come to sit with them: Ginny. She'd been at the Ministry with Harry and would have known exactly what had happened, not just what was in the news. Smith was likely trying to learn more about what had happened. When just discussing the topic failed to garner a reaction from anyone, he switched to a more direct approach.

"So Weasley, you were there with Potter and everyone, weren't you?"

Ginny stared him down for a few seconds before responding.

"Yep."

"Reckon it was pretty crazy, huh?"

Once again, Ginny paused a second before responding. Dean could tell this was not a subject she wanted to discuss with Zacharias. She didn't even give all the details to Dean, preferring not to think about it, which Dean understood.

"Yep indeed."

"I heard You-Know-Who himself got involved and destroyed half the Ministry!" Zacharias continued, oblivious to Ginny's reticence.

Ginny did not respond. Dean thought that was because that wasn't a question.

"So why'd it happen? Why'd he attack?" Zacharias asked eagerly.

"Dunno."

"You've got to know something, you were there! I bet the Death Eaters were pretty intimidating."

Ginny sighed.

"They're Death Eaters, that's what they're trying to do." Ginny's impatience was clear from her tone.

"I bet you were scared pretty bad, you're just a girl." Zacharias, in his quest for information, unwittingly crossed a line.

Ginny's eyes took on a dangerous glint and Dean leaned towards her to calm her down, knowing that had hit a nerve, and try to get that idiot Smith out of the compartment before something happened. Seamus leaned forward, partly in excitement and partly in worry for what Ginny was going to do to Zacharias. Ginny dodged around Dean's hand and stood up, pulling out her wand.

"Vespernas lentis!" She cast the best hex she knew, the Bat-Bogey hex. Dean internally groaned.

Zacharias' eyes widened, as his bogeys rushed out of his nose in the form of large black bats and flew around the top of the compartment rapidly. Dean stood up, with no idea of what he intended to accomplish and immediately sat back down to avoid being hit by a slightly dripping bat. Behind Zacharias, Seamus was silently laughing his head off. Ginny smiled in satisfaction until she noticed the compartment door open ominously, propelled by a large man with an equally large mustache who looked about teacher age, and therefore likely to give detentions.

"I- I'm- er-I mean...," she stammered out. Zacharias took the opportunity to flee, more scared of Ginny than eager to get her in trouble.

"Amazingly good curse milady!"

Ginny froze, and Dean wondered if he'd heard correctly.

"And who're you, sir?" Seamus asked, still repressing a few giggles.

"Professor Slughorn, m'boy!"

"Our new Defense teacher?" Dean perked up in worry upon hearing that this was a new teacher, not wanting Ginny to get in trouble.

"No, I'm a Potions chap. But anyways m'dear, that was a wonderful hex, especially from a student of- what year are you?"

"Fifth year," Ginny answered cautiously, still not certain she wouldn't get a detention.

"And your name?"

"Ginny Weasley, sir."

"Well, Miss Weasley, I'm so glad I saw that marvelous hex. As it happens, I'm hosting a luncheon of sorts in my compartment for particularly gifted students, might I say. Would you care to join us?" Slughorn boomed, his mustache fluttering. Dean jerked back a bit, this not being what he expected to hear.

"I-er-Well I'd be delighted, sir. And you-you won't be giving out a detention to me… will you?" Ginny asked a bit nervously.

"Detention? For that good a hex? Of course not!" Ginny looked quite relieved at that, Dean figured she didn't want to have gotten a detention when the term hadn't even properly started yet.

"Well, I'll see you lot later then," she said, looking over her shoulder as Slughorn propelled her from the compartment, already asking rapid-fire questions about the many other Weasleys, who had apparently done some important things with something-or –other Dean couldn't quite make out. She disappeared from sight as Seamus let his laugh loose again, incredulous at what had happened.

"Well this sure is a start to the year, huh!" Seamus sounded excited as to what else the year would bring.


	2. The Maybe Attraction

A/N: Second chapter already! Wooo! Hope you enjoy this one, and please please review!

Ginny returned a few hours later, waving good bye to Neville in the corridor. She plopped back down next to Dean, waking him up from a sort of trance staring out the window with a kiss.

"Well that Slughorn's lunch was a waste of time," she sniffed.

"Hey, you could have been hanging out with me, of course it was!" Seamus posed on the cushion to prove his point.

Ginny rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Even hanging out with you, Seamus, would have been better. It was basically a meeting of people Slughorn thinks will go far in life, mostly based on their parents. Harry was there, of course, and Neville, but also that prat in your year, Zabini, and some seventh years I don't know. The entire thing was us eating pheasant and talking about famous relatives, or in my case, my skill at hexing people."

Dean laughed. "Well I don't think I have to worry about being roped into that."

Seamus looked skeptical. "Well, I don't know bout that."

Dean didn't quite trust that look in Seamus' eyes, but still asked the question. "Um, how? I'm Muggleborn, at least I think so, and even if my dad was magical I still wouldn't know any relatives on his side."

"Well, not to be too blunt, but mate, you're on the top of my guys to date list. If I had one, which I am most definitely not admitting…" Seamus replied.

Ginny giggled. "Well you're just showing how good my choice was, aren't you?"

Dean laughed as well but he felt a flutter in his stomach, and he was starting to figure Seamus would be at the top of his list as well. But he knew, this was just a joke, nothing serious. He wasn't gay or anything. For heaven's sake, he had a girlfriend, a hot one on top of that! And Seamus obviously wasn't, he'd dated Lavender Brown for a while after the Yule Ball, although Dean wasn't sure why that relationship had ended. He did know, however, that Seamus often "hung out" with Lavender or other girls in broom cupboards around the school.

The train began slowing, pulling into Hogsmeade station. Dean, Ginny, and Seamus climbed off, seeing Ron and Hermione once they stepped onto the platform. The two looked a bit anxious for some reason, especially considering they hadn't even arrived at the school yet. Once the two spotted the three, they rushed over.

"Have you seen Harry?" Hermione asked, biting her lip.

"I did, in Slughorn's compartment, but he went under the Cloak to do something, he didn't say what. Seemed to do with Zabini," Ginny answered.

"Yes, that's what Neville told us. Harry never came back to our compartment and we don't know where he is! Ron, look, Lavender and Parvati, let's ask them! Thanks Ginny!" Hermione called over her shoulder as they rushed off again into the crowd.

Disregarding the matter, Dean headed towards a carriage. He knew Harry would sort it out, he always did. Climbing inside, he was surprised when the next person was Seamus, who sat down next to him. Right next to him.

"Well I'm all tuckered out and ready for food. Or bed. Or food then bed," Seamus announced, leaning his head against Dean's shoulder and closing his eyes to emphasize his point. Ginny, climbing in after Seamus, huffed about that being _her_ spot. Once the carriage started moving and Seamus opened his eyes, Dean expected him to remove his head, but instead, he nestled it closer to Dean's neck.

Normally Dean would have playfully shoved Seamus' off of him, but considering it was only them and Ginny, who was leaning out the window to see Hogwarts, he wasn't as concerned. Also, he couldn't believe he could admit this to himself, it felt rather nice. Maybe… even nicer than snogging Ginny?

The carriage lurched to a stop as Dean, shocked, realized that and Seamus' head fell off his shoulder, which he was suddenly glad for. What was going on with him today? First thinking Seamus was cute now this? Must be some weird teenage mood swings. He'd probably start daydreaming about Umbridge tomorrow-and not in the way he did last year, which ended in a drawing of Umbridge impaled with hundreds of quills that he was actually really proud of. Well, maybe not Umbridge, but it made him feel better to know that this was just a passing mood. He'd be back to normal in no time.

Dean, Ginny, and Seamus climbed out of the carriage and started heading up to the castle. Ahead, they could see Ron and Hermione still looking around for Harry. The last time anyone had seen him had been Ginny and Neville on the train, and they were starting to get a bit more worried.

They all headed in to go sit at the Gryffindor table and wait for the Sorting to begin.

"When's it gonna start?" Seamus muttered impatiently.

"Once you're patient," Dean answered, more affectionately than he would normally. Gosh, this weird mood was getting even weirder.

Seamus stuck his tongue out at Dean and Ginny tsked at them as Professor McGonagall set the stool with the Sorting Hat on it in the front of the Great Hall. Dean zoned out as the Sorting Hat sang, but managed to pick up enough of it to realize it was once again singing about inter-House unity. Yeah, like Dean was going to befriend the Slytherins cause of what an old hat said. McGonagall started calling out names, and one by one, scared little first years put the hat on their heads, oftentimes looking a bit silly because the brim would fall down over their eyes.

"We were never that small," Seamus whispered in Dean's ear, his breath tickling just a bit. Dean found himself blushing a bit from the proximity and avoided Ginny's eyes.

"I wasn't, but you were!" Dean whispered back before Hermione fixed them both with a "be quiet NOW" sort of look. Seamus rolled his eyes at Dean, but didn't dare reply, especially since Hermione was still worried about Harry's disappearance.

The Sorting _finally_ ended and the food appeared. Seamus dug in at once, ravenous, and Dean and Ginny followed, with a bit more manners. Just as they were about to begin dessert, Harry walked in, trying to avoid being looked at by speed-walking straight to the spot in between Ron and Hermione, his face covered in blood. Ron and Hermione immediately began fussing over him.

"What happened? We were terrified!" Hermione asked anxiously.

"I'll tell you later." Harry seemed to be avoiding discussing it. Dean didn't have to think hard about why, people were always prying into Harry's business.

"Reckon he got into a fight?" Seamus muttered discreetly.

Dean replied, just as quietly, "Looks like it. We'll have to see if he talks about it in the dormitory tonight or something. Whatever it was must have been big."

Looking up at his best friend's face, Dean couldn't help but wonder if he even wanted this sudden attraction to Seamus Finnigan to go away at all.


	3. Quidditch Tryouts

A/N: Still no reviews in sight! I'm starting to wonder if I should continue writing… Should I?

The next day, Dean and Seamus got their schedules last. It was completely their fault, but neither really was too bothered about it as it meant a quarter hour's more sleep. Upon reviewing their schedules and finding both had a free period first hour, they whooped and headed upstairs to sleep a bit more. This would become their routine over the next month, well that, (for Dean) finding secluded corners of the castle with Ginny and (for Seamus) disappearing with a scoff whenever Ginny and Dean headed off to find a quiet place.

On the Saturday of the second week of school was the first day that routine of sleeping in got interrupted, by Harry and Ron getting up for Quidditch tryouts.

Seamus looked at Dean in an eager way that made his stomach do a flip and his brain feel like a Feather-light charm had been placed on it, jumping up on Dean's bed in excitement. "We should try out!"

"W-what?" Dean could have sworn that he heard Seamus suggest they try out for the Quidditch team. That couldn't be right, his head must have been muddled by that Feather-light charm.

"We- you and I- should try out for-see if we can get on- the Quidditch team! You know, that thing that makes the area under Harry's bed smell really bad when he doesn't wash his uniform after shoving it under there when he's tired?" Seamus explained, as though he were a bit slow that day, which Dean supposed he was.

"Why would we go and do that?" Dean asked, wondering if Seamus was experiencing the same feelings he was, which might account for that odd statement.

"For a laugh. To see if we can get on. To irritate Harry. I don't know. No reason. For fun. You in?" Seamus gestured widely, almost falling off of Dean's bed.

"Of course," Dean replied, secretly thinking Seamus could have asked anything of him and in that moment, he would have agreed.

So they grabbed their brooms and headed down to the Quidditch pitch.

Once they were there, Dean felt like turning around, but Seamus' presence next to him convinced him to stay. The pitch was mostly filled with people who were only trying out because of Harry. About 150 or so people had turned up, and Dean would bet over half of them weren't serious about getting on the team.

Ginny ran up to them and kissed Dean on the cheek. "Are you guys here to try out?"

"Yep, on the off chance either of us is any good," Dean joked.

"Speak for yourself, mate, I've been flying about eight years longer than you," Seamus replied, acting wounded.

Ginny laughed. "Dean, I know you're best at Chaser, but what about you, Seamus?"

"Chaser also. And guess who I think's gonna beat all your asses?"

The three shared a joking look of determination, realizing there was no way all three of them would make it on the team as Katie Bell, who had been on the team for five years already, was also there that morning.

Harry blew his whistle, then announced that everyone would fly around the pitch for the first test. Watching the first seven or so groups fail miserably, Dean was cheered up a bit that at the worst, he'd fly better than about 75% of the people there. The group that he flew with had himself, Ginny, Seamus, Katie, and Ron, along with five people from younger Years he didn't know. They flew flawlessly, the first group to have everyone make it all the way around the pitch.

Next, it was time for Chasers. Now that all the people who weren't serious were off the pitch, the competition had gotten a lot stiffer. There were about fifteen trying out, most doing extremely well. To Dean and Seamus' surprise, they managed to beat out about half the competitors, although not making it on the team, as they expected. The two congratulated Ginny on her place on the team and headed back up to the castle to shower.

"Well that was great, wasn't it?" Seamus asked as they started climbing the first flight of stairs.

Dean grinned. "Much better than I thought it would be, guess I've got to be glad I've got you around to suggest fun things to do."

"Ah, I have many ideas of things to do, but I usually reserve those for the ladies. Maybe someday I'll let you in on those secrets," Seamus said suggestively.

Dean blushed. He was used to Seamus saying things like that, but recently, he'd been analyzing them more and more.

"Shouldn't it be for your right hand, not for the ladies? You're more likely to have your hand say it loves you than a girl," Dean shot back.

Reverting to immaturity, Seamus stuck his tongue out at Dean and Dean laughed.

"You have such little faith in me!" Seamus shook his head in faux disappointment.

Dean, still laughing, headed into the bathroom to begin his shower. Seamus followed, still pretending to be miffed, which was a rather adorable expression on him, Dean thought, then tried to pretend he hadn't by turning the shower on full blast as hot as he could stand.

Afterwards, back in their dorm, Seamus lay across his bed diagonally, facing Dean, and prattled on about nothing, while Dean pretended to draw but actually watched how Seamus' freckles moved a bit as he smiled and how his long fingers always twitched to the beat of his voice and how Seamus Finnigan was… beautiful.

Dean jumped up, overturning his blank sketchbook and his charcoal, sending them skidding across the floor.

"Dean? Where's the fire?" Seamus asked.

_It's you. It's you who I'm thinking about too much and I shouldn't be, I should be moving on from these thoughts by now, moving on to, oh, I don't know, anyone but you! And your gorgeous hands that I want (need) to draw and-_

"I have to meet Ginny," Dean rushed, his voice sounding odd to him. He turned and ran out of the room, missing how Seamus' face fell as he left.

Dean fled from the tower, ignoring the people in the common room who stared. He wasn't going anywhere in particular, but he knew he needed to block out all of the thoughts from his mind for a bit, so he could analyze his feelings properly later. He got all the way to the Owlery before realizing he wanted to go outside. Without stopping, ignoring how out of breath he was and how much his legs burned, he kept running, down all seven flights of stairs, and out the Entrance Hall. He could see that the Quidditch trials had just ended, so he ran the other direction, ending up somewhere by the Black Lake. He collapsed under a tree and began to think.


	4. A New Resolution

A/N: I'm going to keep going for the time being, but if I don't get any interest, I don't think it'll be worth continuing. I don't want to end up begging for reviews, but I might have to resort to that.

Dean walked back to the castle slowly, to give himself time to adjust to what he considered to be his new mindset, which he had decided upon under the tree next to the Black Lake.

First, he was not in any way attracted to Seamus Finnigan.

Second, he was very devoted to Ginny and would take as much time as possible to snog Ginny, even if that meant getting Ron mad at him.

And third, he was never ever going to tell anybody about what he'd been thinking about Seamus the past few weeks.

Satisfied with these resolves, Dean went to go find Ginny and make good on what he told Seamus, but also to begin working as hard as possible on the second part.

Dean did very well at following his resolves for the next few weeks. He was just friends with Seamus, nothing more, even when they joked around. He make as much time as possible to spend with Ginny. And he didn't breathe a word of any of this to anyone.

Midway through October was the first Hogsmeade date of the year. True to his vow, Dean went with Ginny rather than Seamus, since, he figured, it wasn't just any day he could make out with his girlfriend in a tea shop entirely devoted to that activity.

The morning of the Hogsmeade trip, once again, was a day when Harry and Ron disrupted Dean and Seamus' sleep schedule. They were awoken by a yell.

"Aaaaaaargh!"

Dean sat bolt upright in bed and looked around frantically. Everybody was awake and talking at once. Ron was hanging by his ankle in the air. Well, that was a new one, Dean thought. Strange things always happened when you shared a dormitory with the Chosen One and his best friend, but that had never before occurred. Harry, looking panicked, dove for a book, out of which he had evidently gotten the spell that was now causing Ron to hang uside down. Dean started laughing.

"Sorry!" Harry yelled, now searching for the right page. "Hang on, I'll let you down!"

True to his promise, Harry did let Ron down, apologizing once more. Dean and Seamus continued to laugh, bringing Ron to think the whole affair had been hilarious, rather than terrifying by the time they were dressed to head out to Hogsmeade.

Dean met Ginny in the Entrance Hall, and after getting probed by Filch, they headed out into the freezing wind. Dean would have taken Ginny's hand, but after realizing that would just be him holding her thickly gloved hand awkwardly in his, decided she'd understand if he didn't.

Ginny talked about Quidditch most of the way there, something Dean really didn't mind, even though he preferred football. The Quidditch talk lasted until they got to Madam Puddifoot's, and they no longer had a need to talk.

After a wonderfully lengthy snogging session, Dean and Ginny wrapped up again and started back to Hogwarts. They were most of the way back when they ran into Lavender Brown, who looked extremely anxious.

Before Dean or Ginny could muster a "Hello" through the wind, Lavender began speaking. "Have you heard? Have you heard about Katie Bell?"

Dean and Ginny shared a glance. "No, we haven't," Ginny answered. "Did something happen?"

Lavender leaned in and involuntarily Dean and Ginny followed. "She was cursed! No one really knows what happened, but she got a package in the Three Broomsticks to deliver to someone in Hogwarts and it cursed her. Dumbledore's in the hospital wing right now trying to figure out what happened." On that ominous note, she spotted someone else to share the news with and headed over, sparing a wave goodbye.

"Oh, that's terrible!" Ginny breathed. "The poor girl! And I hate to think of Quidditch at a time like this, but… she's one of our best players!"

Dean nodded. "I hope she's all right, not just for Quidditch, but you're right, this could be a problem. Let's go up to the Common Room, someone else might know more."

And it turned out, like most of the strange occurrences in and around Hogwarts, Harry Potter was involved. Lavender had been correct, she'd been cursed by a package, and it turned out the package contained an opal necklace.

"Strange thing to curse," Seamus mused later that night. "It sounds so harmless… and then it bloody near kills you!"

Dean had to agree, it was a strange thing to curse. Stranger still was the question Harry asked him after Transfiguration a few weeks later.

"Are you still interested in playing Chaser?"

Dean was surprised. Him? The one who had only tried out because Seamus asked him to for a laugh, who vastly preferred football should replace Katie? He did the only thing he could, and agreed to play. After all, it did coincide with his resolution to spend a lot of time with Ginny, even if this was on the pitch and not a deserted corridor.

Seamus was not happy that Dean had been chosen to play and not him. As a result, Dean found himself spending more and more time with Ginny, culminating in being caught snogging in a passageway on the second floor by Harry and Ron.

Ron looked livid, which Dean could understand, but the odd thing was Harry did too. Well, maybe not so odd, considering Harry spent so much time at the Weasley's he practically was one.

"Oi!" Ron shouted.

"What?" Ginny replied.

"I don't want to find my own sister snogging people in public!" Ron showed off the infamous Weasley temper.

"This was a deserted corridor till you came butting in!" retaliated Ginny.

Dean knew this wasn't going to end well and really really wanted to get out of there. "Er…c'mon Ginny, let's go back to the common room…"

"You go! I want a word with my dear brother!" Dean left, very relieved to have escaped for now. He could hear Ron and Ginny continuing to yell at each other as he hurried away from the scene.

Over the next few days, Ron gave both Dean and Ginny the silent treatment. Oddly enough, this behavior also extended to Hermione, who, from what Dean could see, hadn't done anything. The only good part about being ignored by Ron, other than not being shouted at, was that Seamus began talking to Dean again, evidently thinking he'd gotten punishment enough.

And what a punishment it was, with Ron doing even worse than usual at Keeping and giving Dean little to no hope at proving himself by Gryffindor winning the first match of the season, against Slytherin.

But somehow, somehow they did. They won the match against Slytherin and Ron was on top form and Seamus, naturally, started a party in the Gryffindor common room. Dean would look back at that party many times in future months and wonder if he was glad or mad that party had happened, not quite coming up with an answer. Dean relived the events of the party after Gryffindor beat Slytherin so many times in the future he had a set order of how he would think about it.

First, the actual moment of victory. He'd linger on that one, knowing the night was not going to get better.

Next, the beginning of the party. Ron snogging Lavender in the corner, as people began to get drunk.

The parts after that got a bit muddled as Seamus convinced Dean to drink a bit of firewhiskey, then a bit more. (Why did so many important things start with Seamus convincing Dean to do things he wouldn't normally?) At some point there was dancing. Ginny was there, he thought. And eventually, Dean ended up in the dormitory with just Seamus. He wasn't sure how he got there, or where the others were, but he was completely certain that the night ended with him and Seamus on Dean's bed, Seamus missing his shirt (another thing Dean didn't remember, where Seamus' shirt had gone. They never found it). And the most important part; they were snogging furiously.


	5. Fixing the Untruths

A/N: I'm getting some wonderful responses to this… I'll keep going as long as I can!

Dean woke up slowly the next morning. He was so warm… Why was his bed so cozy today? Whatever it was, he liked it. Dean shifted, intending to roll over and go back to sleep, only to find that his progress was inhibited by something. Or rather someone… Seamus' chest was pressed against Dean's back, and his arm lightly rested over Dean's side. Dean carefully disentangled himself, then shoved aside the curtains and jumped out of his bed upon realizing Seamus was still in it, stumbling a bit when his hangover caught up with him. Glancing around, he ascertained that it must have been quite late as all of their dormmates had left already. They must have assumed Seamus and Dean were asleep in their separate beds, since they both happened to have the curtains around their bed shut, luckily for the two.

_Crap, that whole night was a mistake. Seamus better not remember ANYTHING! That was so not supposed to happen. He had been doing so well on his resolutions for the last-what was it, almost two months? - and is all was destroyed by one night of drunken celebration. And Ginny… Shit. Seamus really better not remember, or at least not say anything. She would not only murder him, but she would do it loud enough that all of Gryffindor tower would know the reason. All the better to stick with his resolutions even more. Hopefully forever this time._

Seamus shifted in Dean's bed, and Dean froze, wishing for him to not wake up just yet. He didn't, just shifting over to the spot formerly occupied by Dean. Dean wasted no time dressing and leaving the dorm to get out of there before Seamus actually woke up, thinking frantically. _Well, he could always tell Seamus he'd gotten very drunk and accidentally climbed in Dean's bed instead of his own before Dean got there… And then Dean had taken Seamus' instead. It was perfect! But only if Seamus didn't remember. He tended to get blackout drunk, though, so it was likely… _But Dean decided to be optimistic and headed down to find some breakfast, attempting to put the matter out of his mind for now.

"Dean!" a voice shouted as he clambered out of the portrait hole, still attempting to find some safe subject to think about for now.

He turned around, almost tripping again. "Ginny!" Dean tried to sound excited to see her and keep a smile going on his face, but it must not have worked since Ginny eyed him suspiciously.

"You disappeared last night. What happened?" Ginny's voice sounded light, but Dean knew there was a threat of sorts behind it.

"Bed. I drank a bit too much firewhiskey and didn't feel that well," he answered, knowing it was true.

"Your bed?" Ginny pried, and now Dean knew she must have been extremely worried about whom he had been with. He tried to squash down the little voice in the back of his head telling him she had a good reason to be concerned.

"No, Seamus'," he said, remembering the lie he'd planned out, now quite grateful he'd thought it up so fast. Ginny's eyebrow's shot up further than he'd thought possible. Dean suddenly realized saying he'd slept in Seamus' bed wasn't really the smartest thing to say to convince Ginny everything was fine.

"You did WHAT?"

"See, he went to bed before me, and accidentally got in my bed instead of his, so I decided to take his so I didn't have to wake him up and…" Dean trailed off as the portrait hole opened again, not wanting this particular conversation overheard by anyone.

Seamus stepped out, still looking half asleep. "Hey Dean, mate, erm… strange question, but why exactly was I in your bed?" he asked, seeming to notice Ginny glaring at him once he was done speaking and looking a bit alarmed. Dean, on the other hand, instantly felt relieved, knowing this meant Seamus had no memory of what had happened.

"You went to bed drunk, and when I went up there, I found out you'd gotten in mine by accident. What, you thought I was in there with you?" Dean joked nervously.

"No, mate, even with that gorgeousness I wouldn't do that, cause I really don't want Ginny to murder me," Seamus replied.

"Yeah, please don't hit on my boyfriend while I'm dating him," Ginny asked sweetly.

"Ouch Ginny, I feel like you'll just throw me to that wolf over there if you get mad!" Dean cried.

"Good reason to keep her happy, Dean. Smart thinking Ginny!" Seamus laughed. "Well, I'm going back to bed now that's mystery solved. _My_ bed this time."

"Phew. See you later!" Dean said.

Seamus climbed back in the portrait hole, leaving a much happier Ginny and a giddy with relief Dean behind.

"I was going to go eat breakfast, have you already eaten?" Dean asked.

"I have, not everyone's as lazy as you," Ginny teased. "Well, I have to go get started on my homework, so I'll see you later, then."

Dean kissed Ginny goodbye as his stomach twinged in guilt. _Oh Merlin, this is not going to be easy._

Dean headed down to the Great Hall and began loading up a plate with all the food he could possibly eat. Before he was done with it, Seamus had appeared and sat down next to him, just looking at him. Dean put down his fork.

"What's up?"

Seamus disregarded the question. "Why is my bed still made if you slept in it last night?"

Dean froze. _Shit._ He hadn't anticipated this at all. "Er, I, well I… made it for you so it wouldn't… bother you," he invented, the statement sounding more like a question.

"Yeah right Dean, like I don't know you can't make a bed to save your life. You forget, I've lived with you for over five years. I know you. So tell me, what really happened last night? You weren't in my bed, and you weren't with Ginny, so where were you?" Seamus crossed his arms and looked at Dean accusingly.

"Look mate, let's talk about this somewhere else. This isn't really… the best place." Dean left his plate, he wasn't hungry anymore, and led Seamus out of the castle to the isolated tree where he'd made his three resolves so long ago, knowing there was no way they'd be interrupted, especially on a chilly Sunday morning.

Seamus didn't sit down. "Talk."

"Seamus, please don't be mad, I just wanted to forget what happened, since I'm dating Ginny and all and it didn't mean anything, it couldn't have and-"

"Just bloody tell me what happened already!"

"We were both really drunk and it wasn't a normal day, that wouldn't have normally happened-"

Seamus looked straight at Dean. "WHAT HAPPENED? Just tell me!"

Dean looked at his shoes. "We- well, we snogged. For a while, I think. And I woke up and you were still in my bed and I got nervous and you didn't remember so I just decided I'd never tell anyone-"

"Slow down. Mate, that's something I want to _know_, when I make out with people, and goddam it, especially you."

"I- what? Especially me? What do you mean?" Dean asked, now more confused than flustered now that Seamus didn't seem to be angry anymore.

"Idiot, I've told you so many times that you're fucking hot! How many times does it take, Dean?" Seamus pressed angrily.

"I-er had a-a resolution to not think that way about that anymore and-crap, another one was to never tell you that. Ah, damn it. Two resolutions out of three, broken in two minutes," Dean muttered.

"So you think I'm pretty attractive too, then?" Seamus grinned, posing.

"Well, yeah. How could I not?" Dean answered.

"Good point. So what was the third resolution, the one you haven't broken yet?" Seamus wanted to know.

"To spend as much time snogging Ginny as possible. That one's pretty easy to do, even if I'm not sure how into her I am," Dean replied.

"'Not into her'?" Seamus whistled. "Are you gay? Like honestly. It's _Ginny Weasley_, for crying out loud!"

"I, well I don't really know. I don't think so," Dean answered.

"Well a few years ago I found out I'm pansexual by some experimenting, maybe that's what you need to do," Seamus said. "But sober this time, so both of us remember it."

Seamus leaned in towards Dean and kissed him. As he tried to pull away to ask Dean how he liked that, Dean pulled him in closer.

"Well that answers my question," Seamus chuckled.

"Mmm?" asked Dean.

"Never mind," Seamus answered, kissing Dean once more.


	6. Musing, Fighting and Essay Writing

Dean walked in to the castle feeling light as air. Seamus and Dean had agreed to keep this "experimenting" secret for as long as possible, so Seamus had left first and Dean had volunteered to follow soon after. Dean had stayed under the tree for about a very cold 10 minutes to revise his resolves, which he quite enjoyed, as now it allowed for snogging with Seamus.

First, he would continue with Seamus, but very carefully in order to ensure no one found out, ever, especially Ginny.

Second, he would still spend a lot of time with Ginny, trying to become the ideal boyfriend (except for possibly being gay, of course).

Third, everything would seem the exact same to anyone who wasn't Seamus or Dean, especially including Ginny.

Dean knew that he was wronging Ginny greatly, but he tried to justify it to himself by saying this way he could determine his sexuality without hurting Ginny if his suspicions were wrong, and have little to no consequences if he were wrong. Also, he knew that he just didn't want to go through the inevitable social outcasting, like that Hufflepuff who had come out his seventh year, when he and Seamus were in third year. Wallerhoff, he thought. His name might have been Walter Wallerhoff. Poor bloke. And anyways, thinking from a purely practical point of view, Ginny offered a rather nice red herring to anyone who happened to notice anything off about Dean or Seamus. Despite all of these reasons, Dean knew that he had just made up some of these reasons to convince himself that Ginny didn't need to know and assuage his guilt slightly. The truth was, he just really didn't want to tell her. Or anyone else, for that matter, considering the lesson the story of Walter Wallerhoff offered.

Dean decided that after all the excitement of the weekend, he better go do some homework soon. He grabbed his bag from the dorm, managing to make it all the way to the library without any confrontations. At the library, unfortunately, his luck ran out but he didn't realize it until it was too late. Seeing Ginny at a table alone, Dean sat next to her.

"Hey babe," he said, mentally preparing himself to be the best boyfriend ever, complete with sweet questions about her and offering as much help as she wanted with assignments. Even Potions, which Dean hated. He was willing to help her with Potions as part of his third resolve, which would easily show his devotion, he thought.

Ginny looked up, not smiling. "Hello. Where have you been?" she asked pointedly.

"I was out running," he answered, figuring it was a good outside activity for a Sunday morning.

Ginny narrowed her eyes. "You don't look too sweaty."

"Look Gin, are you just going to be suspicious, clingy girlfriend, or are you just going to accept that I DO THINGS sometimes? You need to trust me," said Dean, fed up with her suspicious gaze and questions, especially since he'd been feeling so good and preparing to be an amazing boyfriend. It was the wrong thing to say.

"Trust? Why should I trust you when lately you've just been sneaking around all the time and giving shifty answers, dodging the question! " Ginny said, trying not to speak loudly, but failing a bit due to anger. Madam Pince gave their table a suspicious look.

"But you can trust me! You're just being paranoid and seeing things that aren't there!" Dean replied, trying to keep his voice somewhat quiet.

"You know what, I'm done with my work," said Ginny, slamming her books shut and gathering up her parchment. She shoved them all harshly in her bag and stormed out.

Dean sat there, wordless as people in the library turned to stare at him, wondering what had happened. He managed to put her out of his mind long enough to get enough work done to get through the next day, but then abandoned his work as his attention span waned. _Well that didn't turn out too well. It didn't help that he really wanted the see Seamus again but knew constantly disappearing with him wouldn't help him convince Ginny to believe him, is she was still interested in dating him, that was._

Dean doodled aimlessly on a spare piece of parchment, not too surprised that it ended up being Seamus' profile. It was a serious portrait, much more serious than Seamus ever was in reality. He found another spare piece of parchment and drew a second one of Seamus laughing, his eyes sparkling. He sat there for a few minutes, just looking at Seamus. Out of the corner of his eye, Dean saw someone approaching him, so he discreetly covered the drawings with a half-completed Charms essay. Neville sat down in front of him.

"Hey, Dean, how's it going?" he asked genially.

"Ah, good mostly, except for this essay," Dean replied, gesturing to it with his quill.

"I was working on that essay in the common room but then Ron and Lavender came in and- well, you know, you must have seen them at the party yesterday," Neville said.

Dean snorted. He didn't even get that outright in the common room with Ginny and she was the one he was dating. "I don't think anyone in Gryffindor Tower missed that, they're not exactly discreet."

"I get the feeling I'm going to be coming here for a lot of essays for a while, it's that bad," Neville commented. "I'll just take this opportunity to tell you that everyone takes you and Ginny not snogging that obviously for granted and thank you for not doing that. Not something I thought I'd ever think about, mind you, but important nonetheless."

Dean grinned, feeling a bit of a twinge in his stomach, remembering how Ginny had run out earlier. "Glad to know I'm helping you out. Now, would you mind returning the favor and helping me on this damned essay?"

Dean and Neville worked well for the next few hours, both completing their essays and feeling confident in them. Dean did end up helping Neville more than Neville helped him but he thought, he should have expected that, as Dean was a bit stronger in Charms than Neville.

Lying in bed that night, Dean realized that with spending so much time with Ginny (if they were even still together, he hadn't seen her since she'd left the library in a huff), it'd be really difficult to spend much time with Seamus. He'd have to catch her before classes tomorrow and see if she was still angry. Dean drifted off to sleep thinking about how much more comfortable he'd be with Seamus in his bed once again, comforting himself with the thought that it would be just him and Seamus in the dorm when the Christmas holidays drifted around…


	7. As December Passed

Dean and Seamus came to a new routine as November became December. In the morning, they woke up a bit late, barely making it to breakfast before it was over, then headed back up to the dorm to "do some homework" during their open first hour. There were a few close calls with that plan, as Harry and Ron also had that hour free, but Dean and Seamus always managed to pull of the "we were doing homework together but dozed off a bit" look.

On Tuesdays like today, they would go to Defense Against the Dark Arts with Snape, guaranteed to be rather unpleasant, although not a hard class once they mastered nonverbal spells. After break, they had Care Of Magical Creatures, a much smaller class at the N.E.W.T. level. Once lunch finally rolled around, Dean was able to eat with Ginny, as she had finally forgiven him. He was doing quite a nice job of being the ideal boyfriend, he thought. After the afternoon classes, Dean and Ginny got some quality time in together, which wasn't entirely unpleasant for Dean. He considered it good practice for Seamus the next morning. After dinner, they would sit a table with Seamus, Neville, and one of Ginny's friends to get more homework done in the library.

Some nights, Dean and Seamus would share one of their beds if everyone was asleep when they got back to the dorm, but Harry tended to come back quite late, sometimes with Ron because of Quidditch, sometimes alone, and they didn't want him to realize there was an extra snore coming from one bed in particular as he was falling asleep. Dean wondered what he was up to, and figured it would be in the _Daily Prophet _ eventually if it was interesting, as everything the Chosen One did that was interesting ended up in there at one time or another.

That particular night Harry, Ron, and Neville all fell asleep early, so Dean felt it was a good time to sneak into Seamus' bed.

"Hey," Seamus mumbled sleepily, looking adorable from what little Dean was able to see of him in the darkness.

"Hey there cutie," Dean replied, laying down on his stomach.

"Dean, you're too far away!" Seamus complained.

Dean moved closer to him. "Is this better?"

"Much better," Seamus muttered, pulling Dean's face closer to his and kissing him.

"Seamus?" a voice called as the curtains were pulled apart. Neville came into sight, looking a bit disoriented. His eyes opened wide when he realized Dean was also in Seamus' bed and they were snogging. "Oh, er –I thought you were sleeptalking again, Seamus, I- erm- I'm sorry. I was worried you'd start yelling, that's what happened last time, you know. You do know. Yeah. Well, erm, I'll just go back to bed now, nothing just happened, this conversation did not exist. Neither do I. But I do. Ah, to hell with it, I'm just going to go back to bed…"

With that, Neville closed the curtain, his face flaming red, and they could hear him walking back to his bed and lying down again. When, after a few minutes, his breathing became deep and regular again, Seamus decided it was safe to talk.

"Oops."

"Oops? That could have gone so much worse? What if he told Harry and Ron? What if he told _Ginny_? What if-" Dean's voice was threatening to rise, but he forced himself to stay quiet so as to not wake up anyone else.

Seamus cut Dean off with a finger on his lips. "But he won't do any of that. He's Neville. He accepts whatever goes on around him, not changing anything. He won't tell anyone. We can talk to him in the morning if you're still not sure. But for now, let's just remember to put a Silencing Charm up next time this happens and we'll be fine."

Dean sighed and obeyed. He fell asleep quickly, nestled comfortably in Seamus' arms.

_Dean was in a forest. It didn't look like the Forbidden Forest, this one was clearer, more open. He was standing on a path made of woodchips next to a bench overlooking a beautiful, sunny view of a small lake. Dean noticed a smaller path leading up away from the bench and took it, weaving around small trees until he came upon a fork in the path. One side of the fork continued on as he had been, while the other went down a steep hill. Dean noticed footprints in the dirt of the part going down the hill and followed them. The path led down to a small hut built of sticks from the woods. The footprints led past the hut, however, continuing on into the woods, this time not following a trail. Dean followed them along the edge of the lake in the direction he'd come, but at the base of the large hill. They wove among pine trees and bushes until he came to a clearing. The clearing was bright and sunny, with emerald green grass and a lovely garden with another bench, identical to the first but for the memorial plaque: To Joanna, for teaching me so much. Dean looked around for the footprints, but did not see them. Instead, he saw a sturdy wooden dock leading through some reeds towards the water. Dean moved silently across the grass to the beginning of the dock, then noticing a girl sitting on the end. She was had blonde hair in a single braid halfway down her back, and was wearing a worn green t-shirt. Her feet were dangling in the water and her sandals were sitting next to her. Dean couldn't see her face, but somehow he knew she was happy, and how couldn't she be? The day was perfect, bright blue sky with just a few fluffy clouds, with the trees of the forest outlined clearly against it. Suddenly Dean heard a bark. A large black dog bounded across the grass aggressively. Dean instinctively darted to the side, but the dog was ignoring him, heading towards the girl on the dock. She'd heard the dog bark, and was standing at the ready, holding a small pink cylinder Dean didn't recognize. She pressed a button on it and the dog howled in agony and pain, but continued towards her. The girl noticed Dean, and was looking at him as if begging for help. Dean started running onto the dock, with no plan in place. The dog reached the girl and prepared to spring on her as-_

"Dean, wake up!"

Dean didn't want to wake up, he wanted to get that dog off the girl- oh wait. That was a dream. And the comfy bed he was in was Seamus'. Which meant the comfy person he was leaning against must be Seamus himself.

"You alright mate? You're waking up a bit slowly today," Seamus commented, his eyes sparkling in the sunlight.

"Yeah, fine, I just had a bit of a weird dream. I'm ready for breakfast, you?"


	8. Dreams and Snowball Fights

It's been longer than usual, but I have this chapter now! Also I've recently become a beta, so if any of you have something that needs one please PM me!

Dean had the same dream a few times over the next week. It made him a little on edge because he wasn't sure why he'd had it in the first place. Who was the girl? And why was he dreaming about her?

The Saturday afternoon before Christmas Break, when Ginny had Quidditch practice, Seamus and Dean were in the library working on a particularly gruesome DADA essay. Seamus suddenly set down his quill.

"Dean, what do you think about the future?" he asked.

"The future? Er, well it'll be different, I guess. We won't be at Hogwarts or anything. Is that what you mean?"

"No, not really. What do you think you'll be doing?"

"I want to do something with art. Or something like Dumbledore's Army. Maybe magical architecture or being an Auror, I'm not sure. Maybe painting or- who knows. I sure don't," he replied.

Seamus nodded. "That makes sense for you." He looked like he wanted to say something else for a moment, but then the moment passed and he looked back down at the essay.

"So Inferi? Fun topic for a roll of parchment, huh?"

Dean sighed. "He really should have chosen something less likely to rot eventually, even if it takes a couple hundred years. It makes me not want to eat lunch."

Seamus smiled. "I know something else you could eat though… something a bit more appetizing."

But for all his flirting, Seamus seemed a little off. Dean watched him closely, wondering what was really his reason for asking that question. Maybe he was asking to see if Dean was going to date him… or marry him… No. That couldn't have been it. Seamus wasn't thinking that far ahead, Dean just knew it. Maybe he just actually wanted to know what Dean was planning. After all, N.E.W.T.s were next year, and the career planning meeting had been the year before. They had to have some idea of what they wanted to do with their lives in order to decide which classes took precedence in their studies. That must have been it.

Dean put the matter out of his mind and continued on with his essay, which was almost complete, although nauseating. He hoped Snape enjoyed reading however many essays about dead bodies walking around. Maybe he'd have some nightmares, it'd serve the old bat right.

That night as Dean fell asleep, he expected to dream about the girl and the dog again, with the dream ending just as the dog leapt, like always. But instead…

_The dog leapt on the girl, pouncing on her and dragging her down to the ground. Dean wanted to look away but couldn't, as the dog bit down on her thigh and she screamed in terror and pain. It kept attacking her as she tried to back away, failing to drag herself away from the dog. The sounds of her screams grew louder and louder until-_

Dean opened his eyes. Seamus was kneeling over him, looking concerned.

"Mate, what happened? You were screaming so loud…"

"I… had a dream. Girl got attacked by a dog. Dunno why. Weird dream."

Dean sat up, glancing at the clock. It read 4:21 in large glowing letters.

"Let's just go back to sleep," Dean said. Seamus yawned his agreement, stretching out his arms to hold Dean close. Dean quickly fell asleep, enveloped in Seamus' warmth.

When he woke up again, the dormitory was bright and sunny, with frost covering the bottom half of the windows. Seamus was sitting on his own bed, watching him.

"Aha! He's awake. It's present time!"

Dean blinked and remembered- it was indeed Christmas day. He got out of bed quickly, shivering as his bare feel met the cold ground. Seamus tossed him a present shaped like an abnormally thick book. When he caught it, Dean could tell it was definitely a book. He tore the paper off, wondering what kind of book Seamus would give him and found it was called Codex Seraphinianus. He looked quizzically at Seamus.

Seamus laughed. "Found that book at a Muggle bookstore. It's an art book, but none of the drawings make any sense, so I figured you'd like it. And even more relavent, it's got 'anus' in the name and I figured it'd give you an idea of my plans for today." He winked lecherously and Dean blushed, knowing his plans would definitely happen.

Dean gave Seamus his present, admitting out loud it wasn't quite up to the standards of the Codex Seraphinianus, being simply a box of Weasley's Wildfire Whizbangs. At that, Seamus simply smirked and remarked, "With some creativity, it could be just as useful to my plans."

Dean rolled his eyes, doubting Seamus was quite that creative and turned to his other presents. From Ginny, he'd received some magical paint that could change colors depending on who was near it. Dean made a mental note to make some mischief with that particular present, hopefully confusing the Slytherins very much. He'd sent her an adorable stuffed bear holding a heart, hoping to assuage his guilt a bit. He thought the paint was fitting as a gift for him, but privately though he liked Seamus's better, even if the book itself made no sense. It held more meaning for both of them.

Now done with their present opening, Seamus and Dean dressed to head down to breakfast. Dean was unable to find matching socks and was a bit annoyed by that until Seamus pointed out that he wouldn't be wearing them for very long. Dean grinned at that, figuring he was right, and purposely wore the most outlandish pairing of socks he had, one being a red and gold tube sock and the other a much shorter purple one he didn't remember owning.

The Christmas breakfast was excellent, as usual, and they stuffed themselves as full as possible. Afterwards, Dean suggested a walk to digest a bit, and seeing that it had snowed overnight, Seamus agreed. They rushed upstairs to get jackets and gloves, then headed out the Entrance Hall doors. Wandering a bit away from the castle to avoid being seen by those still inside, they cleared a spot to sit and merely sat, leaning into one another and watching the Giant Squid break up pieces of the ice that had attempted to form overnight. This was a daily ritual for the Squid, although it was unable to clear more than enough to poke a few large tentacles out of the water.

Seamus moved suddenly away from Dean, and Dean looked up quickly in case another student had appeared. However, no one was in sight and Dean had tilted his face up just in time to receive a large handful of snow in it, courtesy of a snickering Seamus. Dean wiped the snow off, and a wicked grin snaked across his face as he scooped up more snow, shoving it down Seamus's back, laughing hysterically as Seamus shrieked, then stopping suddenly as Seamus retaliated. By the end of the fight, both Dean and Seamus were soaking wet, cold, and extremely happy with themselves. They headed inside, still laughing, intent on having an altogether different sort of fight…


End file.
